Boris Giltburg’s Big Season in Germany

Boris Giltburg is set for a remarkable season across Germany, performing with top orchestras in Essen, Dresden, Frankfurt, and Leipzig. In this wide-ranging interview with Eric Schoones, the pianist reflects on his deep connection to Rachmaninoff, the emotional depths of Beethoven, and his upcoming exploration of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier—a new “final frontier” in his artistic journey.

The charismatic Boris Giltburg, who opened the new season with the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra under Jun Märkl, is this year’s artist in residence at the Dresden Philharmonic. Later in the season, in February 2026, he will make his debut with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, perform with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra on 26 May, and give two further concerts under Roderick Cox in Duisburg in June. Meanwhile, he continues his acclaimed complete recording of Rachmaninoff’s piano works.

It is clear that Boris Giltburg has a strong presence in Germany, but anyone who knows the artist knows there is much more to come. We spoke on an early July morning when Giltburg joined me from his home in London, full of energy and in good spirits as always.

You have been playing with the Dresden Philharmonic for several years.
I have given individual concerts with them over several seasons, and now we are starting a larger project with part of their core repertoire—Beethoven, Mozart, but also Gershwin, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand. It was a joint decision to explore a wide range of genres, and I am very much looking forward to playing a recital in Dresden as well.

Rachmaninoff composed his magical, albeit somewhat neglected, First Sonata in this place…
I have just recorded it and will also perform it there. I think it is overshadowed by the second sonata, which is more compact and has a more immediate appeal. The first sonata invites you to immerse yourself and discover, while the second simply sweeps you away. I learned the first during the pandemic and love it very much.

Rachmaninoff once revealed that it was inspired by Faust and contains three musical portraits: Faust himself, Gretchen, and Mephistopheles. He later removed all of this from the official programme—I disagree with that completely. Even in the final version, the parallels to Faust are unmistakable, in my opinion. Especially in the finale, you can go through Goethe’s text almost scene by scene and see how it is reflected in the music. The ending is also fascinating. Goethe’s Faust I ends with Gretchen’s redemption, but Rachmaninoff’s sonata follows the earlier version of the legend, which ends in damnation.

In Dresden, Rachmaninoff seems to have been inspired by church bells, a recurring motif in his music.
Indeed, but for me the most important thing to know is that he was happy there. From his letters we know how unhappy he often was in other places, but his Dresden letters, especially those to close friends, are full of warmth and domestic details. One of my favourite stories is how he bought a sofa that turned out to be the wrong one. The salesman wouldn’t take it back, so Rachmaninoff had to get a solicitor involved! It just shows what a normal, approachable person he was.

It’s a shame that the house where he lived in Dresden no longer exists.
Indeed, but we are fortunate to have his house near Lucerne, Villa Senar. It is fantastic, and the piano there is incredible. I have played it—it was not only his grand piano, it is truly one of the best instruments I have ever touched. We have many exciting projects this year, but the performance of the first sonata in Dresden is sure to be something very special.

You recently selected a new piano for the hall in Dresden at Steinway in Hamburg. How do you go about such a search?
I look for something that appeals to me at first touch—let’s call it heart, warmth, colour, personality, soul. Of course, it’s also a big responsibility, because the piano represents the hall and will be played by many other artists. Dresden already has two excellent Steinways, so we tried to find a truly remarkable instrument—clearly a 21st-century piano, but in the best sense of the word. It has a pure sound, enormous responsiveness, and incredible power.

Speaking of power, sometimes orchestras are a little too loud for piano concertos. Don’t you think?
Yes, I don’t think I’ve ever had the opposite problem of an orchestra being too quiet! Orchestras are used to a large symphonic repertoire and naturally produce a rich, full sound. They also know their hall better than you do when you’re a guest artist. In my experience, the more time you spend in a hall, the easier it is to adapt. If I have to choose between power and beautiful sound, I choose the sound quality. I don’t want to argue with the orchestra. If necessary, I ask the conductor for help in balancing the dynamics.

You recently completed your cycle of Beethoven sonatas at London’s Wigmore Hall.
That’s right. Both the 2020 recordings and last season’s live cycle have changed my life, albeit in different ways. For me, Beethoven has evolved from a composer I deeply admired (and perhaps also feared a little) to one of my closest companions in music. This season, I will perform the cycle again in Brussels, Valencia, and Santiago de Chile, and perhaps other cities will be added. I think I will play these sonatas for the rest of my life. 2027 will mark another major Beethoven anniversary, the 200th anniversary of his death, and after the Wigmore cycle, I know the pieces better than ever before. Discovering new things in them is an endless process; it’s like an inexhaustible source. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have these works in my life.

You will also be performing with the famous Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig for the first time. Perhaps not as emotional as Dresden with Rachmaninoff, but still something very special?
Absolutely. After all, Leipzig is the city of Bach. I am currently working on The Well-Tempered Clavier and will record and perform both volumes in 2026. That is the next Mount Everest I am taking on.

Where do you find the time to study all this?
I tell myself: no excuses. No matter what else happens, I have to work on it every day. Are you familiar with Star Trek? The opening credits of the series begin with the famous phrase: ‘Space—the final frontier.’ For me, The Well-Tempered Clavier is the final frontier.

And then you ‘voyage into uncharted territory’—or how should I understand that?
[Laughs] No, many have been there before me! For me, it’s a personal journey of discovery.

I recently heard you in concert with the Pavel Haas Quartet and had a chamber music experience like I’ve rarely had before.
I’m delighted to hear that! Since I met this ensemble in 2014, we have become close musical and personal friends. I consider myself incredibly lucky; that’s not something to be taken for granted. I’ve learned so much from them, not only about performing, but also about preparation. Their approach was very different from mine at first, but I’ve since adopted a lot from them. We record all our rehearsals, listen to them together, discuss what works and what doesn’t, and then try again. We spend weeks on each piece. It feels like a holiday, everything is so thoroughly prepared, which creates a safe space. Ultimately, it also means that we can try to push our boundaries in concert. I work like this now in general and constantly record myself with my mobile phone. It’s so practical.

Alfred Brendel always told his students: ‘Your tape recorder is your best teacher.’
“Really? I didn’t know that. But I completely agree.”

Like Brendel, you are also intensely involved with language and poetry.
“Yes, as in music, poetry is all about storytelling. But I don’t write poems myself, nor do I compose music. I don’t have that in me, but I love arranging. Ultimately, whether it’s music, poetry or photography—another passion of mine—it’s about transforming material into something new.”

Among other things, you have written brilliant piano versions of Rachmaninoff’s Isle of the Dead and Shostakovich’s Eighth String Quartet, which Yuja Wang recently performed.
“That was a big surprise and an honour, by the way! She added many octaves, it was simply incredible.”

“I’m currently working on two translation projects—both from Hebrew into English. One is a short story by Shmuel Yosef Agnon, a Nobel Prize winner who is almost completely unknown outside Israel. And then a cycle of sonnets by Leah Goldberg, another great representative of Israeli national literature. I put a lot of time and thought into these texts, and it’s so enriching. I hope I can contribute something meaningful.”

More about Boris Giltburg: www.borisgiltburg.com

Text: Eric Schoones